Hi All,
Season's Greetings! I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays and the spirit of the season. On November 18, I received a large box of papered Saturniidae from the Philippines. Orders will be shipped on a first-paid-first-served basis, but I will start reserving, (via email) specimens, many of which are from Palawan, Philippines, and are not often offered anywhere.
Specimens are wild caught and in generally good condition.
Palawan species include the following:
Actias philippinaca bulbosa, one male, Palawan only; $15.00 sold
Antheraea gulata, one female, Palawan only; $10.00 sold
Antheraea larrisa ridlyi, one male, Palawan only; $10.00 sold
Antheraea rosieri imeldae, three males, Palawan only; $6.00 each sold
Attacus lemairei, four males, Palawan and Balabac only; $10.00 sold
Samia treadawayi, one male, Palawan only; $8.00 sold
From Negros Occidental, Philippines, I have two large female Actias philippinaca philippinaca, most of the Philippines; $15.00 each sold
From Leyte, Philippines, I have the following:
Attacus caesar = Attacus imperator; seventeen males; $4.00 each;
four females; $15.00 each only males left
Actias philippinaca philippinaca; ten males; $5.00 each sold
Antheraea species, twenty-three, undetermined until spread; $3.00 each
each
I am attempting to make arrangements with potential
suppliers of dried specimens from Uganda and China and will probably
receive additional shipments from Philippines (hopefully more from
Palawan). If you wish to be put on a special contact list when stock
arrives, please let me know and I will send you out email alerts.
For this most recent group of specimens I began sending out
individual emails at the top of the membership list (alphabetical)
and only got to the letter B before most stock was spoken for.
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2004 Photography Contest:
The fifteen finalists for the 2004 photography contest are posted from link on Photography Section. Members have until January 16, 2005 to cast a ballot.
The winning photographer will have his/her choice of any one of the following prizes:
1) Peigler's and Naumann's Samia Revision
2) Five rearing sleeves, any combination of standard sizes
3) Cds of both North American Saturniidae and WLSS
4) Free lifetime membership to Caterpillars Too!
5) Three 8.5" x 11" prints of Tim Dyson's Catocala
Each person who votes will have his/her email ballot put into the raffle box, and the winner will be drawn on January 16. The winner will have the same choice of prizes above. Have a look and cast your vote via email. Just name the photographer and species.
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Non-member Sergei Toropov has just sent me some images of Neoris huttoni shadulla from Kyrghyzstan. He has overwintering eggs and is very interested in obtaining papered specimens of Canadian Colias species (butterflies: sulfurs). He is willing to trade, and can also send other species from Tian Shan and live stock of various of parnassius (butterflies) species (eggs). He is only interested in top quality specimens. He might also be interested in U.S. Colias species.
Email me if you are serious about collecting for and exchanging with Sergei, and I will send you his email address.
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Notes on deep soil pupation by Matt Curtis and Tim Dyson have been posted to the Members' Articles Section.
FIELD-PINNING, STORING, DEGREASING AND RELAXING MOTHS by Tony Thomas has been posted to the Members' Articles Section.
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Pablo Wagner has sent me beautiful images of Rothschildia maurus from Argentina. Images are posted to the individual file and also in photography section. Pablo offers papered specimens from Argentina and is rearing more and more species so livestock may also be available. Contact information is available on pages with Pablo's images.
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Eurides Furtado has just sent me a series of scientific publications he authored. I have added information (mostly foodplant) to individual files: Automerula auletes, Adeloneivaia schubarti (images and info), Rothschildia erycina, Othorene hodeva (images and info), Schausiella spitzi (images and info), Megaceresa pulchra (images and info), Psigida walkeri, Adeloneivaia subangulata, Loxolomia johnsoni, Copiopteryx semiramis montei (images and info).
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Rodolphe Rougerie has just sent me pictures of recently described species Cerodirphia barbuti. Rodolphe is also sending the paper copy of the article so I will post that species shortly.
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Request for Saturnids
Tim Dyson writes, November 20, 2004: "I am looking for papered Saturnids of North American species (one or two of each, including both male and female). A1 specimens are not required, though the nicer, the better, of course.
"I do not maintain a collection of any kind, but I would like to fill a large display case with N.A. Saturnids mounted in life-like poses on branches and twigs. Once the display is complete, or close to complete, I will loan it out to outdoor education centres and nature schools in my area, when they are doing student programs that have to do with moths.
"I am a taxidermist, and I prefer to mount things in poses that resemble how they looked in life, so papered vs pinned would be easier for me to work with.
"Ideally, I would first like to display specimens native to Ontario, and the Great Lakes region, as they would be most relevant to educators and students in this area.
"Empty cocoons would also be useful for this display.
"I am also interested in some papered specimens of Actias of the world as well, and Catocalas too, for similar projects.
"At present, I do not have a lot of money to invest in this undertaking, nor do I have livestock for trade.
"I do however offer in trade, 8 ½" x 11" (or smaller) frameable, high resolution prints of Catocalas I have photographed along my bait trail. Fourteen species of Catocala are available this year. To see some examples, go to "Tim Dyson-Night Vision Photography" on WLSS main page. In addition to the Catocalas, I have good images of close to 100 other species of noctuids from my bait trail, and a few saturnids as well: A. luna, H. cecropia, A. polyphemus and A. io (male) that I photographed at a favorite light in June 2004. (Tim's images are spectacular. Bill Oehlke)
"Eventually I will be looking for world saturnids for mini-scenes in cases, and would not turn down any offered now by members. My priority though, is to begin with N. American species first. Bill Oehlke has already donated a few specimens for this project to get me started, and his Catocala prints are on the way.
(I have received the 8.5" x 11" full color prints, and they are outstanding.)
"Thanks to all for considering assisting me with this!"
I hope some of you can help Tim.
His email is wolverine37@sympatico.ca
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On November 19, I obtained images of Saturnia cephalariae from Tony Pittaway and Robert Westphal. Robert also sent me an image of Molippa convergens (possibly a misidentified M. cruentia).
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On November 17, Jean Haxaire sent me a listing of Cuban Sphingidae which I will shortly upload to the Sphingidae site.
Jean writes, "Could you recommend a good contact in the United States for exchanges of papered material from the USA. I need good material from that country, even some common species. I have more than 10 000 specimens from all over the world just for exchange. I do not buy; I do not sell. That's important. My collection (about 35000 specimens, 1200 sp and ssp.) is from my own collecting trips all over the world plus exchanges I have made."
I hope some of you can help Jean out as he has been a great help to me. I will be sending him some Sphingidae from P.E.I. that I take at lights next season.
Jean's email is jean.haxaire@libertysurf.fr
Correspondence should be in regard to trades mentioned above.
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On November 17, Thibaud Decaens advised me of some missing images (now up) on WLSS files, and Thibaud also provided an image of the Holotype of Hylesia daryae. He writes, "It is the only known specimen of this species, to date, collected in the Oriental Cordillera of Colombia, Parque Nacional de Iguaque, altitude of 3200m if I remember well..."
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On December 14, Rainer Marx sent me images of Caio harrietae, not previously depicted on the WLSS. Rainer offers dried specimens of butterflies and moths from Peru. His contact information is linked from the credit on the Caio harrietae page.
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One member just sent me an image of himself from 1961, mount/case of Saturniidae in hand. I thought it might be fun to see some of you "lepidopterists" in the early days. If at least ten of you can send me images from your early years (eight-eighteen) as well as a current (last three years) photo, I will post them and arrange a matching/contest with prizes.
Best "specimen" also wins a prize!
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Kirby Wolfe recently directed me to this page: http://www.uiw.edu/biology/book.html
Kirby had written, "My good friend, Ric Peigler, has just alerted me to his new site advertizing his great book on Samia. It has a gold mine of bibliography, as do all of his publications. I thought you would be interested in possibly putting a link to the site on your Saturniidae site."
I (Bill Oehlke) would certainly recommend any of Ric Peigler's books and have my own copies of his Attacus Revision as well as the Samia Revision.
Kirby has also sent me images of early instars of Arsenura orbignyana. The larvae are quite different from those sent to me by Eurides Furtada, but often larvae show considerable variation.
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Dominique Adès has just sent me an interesting aberration of a Rothschildia hopfferi male. The image is posted in the Aberration section.
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In January I hope to begin checklists for each of the states in Mexico. I find these checklists very useful in determining ids when images of moths or larvae are sent to me for identification.
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2004 Photographs have been alphabetized and all photo submissions from 2001-2004 have been archived alphabetically. Many outstanding images not in the individual files are in the archives. Alphabetical lists should help you find them.
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Already I have received some outstanding images for the 2005 contest. Please make sure you vote for one of the 2004 finalists. Just send me the species name and the photographer's name and I will enter your name in the email ballot draw to be held January 16, 2005. Winners will be contacted and announced in January newsletter.
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Livestock still available includes Actias luna, Automeris io, Callosamia promethea (promethea now sold out) and Samia cynthia cocoons as well as butterfly pupae: Papilio glaucus, Papilio troilus. All are $4.00 U.S.
Antheraea polyphemus are also still available at $4.50 U.S. Minimum order is five pieces, and there is one shipping and handling fee of $7.00 in U.S.; $10.00 overseas.
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Please check the Members' Wish list periodically and help when you can.
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Sphingidae Express
Cuban Checklist now up.
Beautiful image of Pseudosphix tetrio larva from Puerto Rico, courtesy of Brian M. Irish, now up on Puerto Rico page and in individual file.
Additional information on Callionima parce has been added courtesy of Jean Haxaire.
Very nice images of Proserpinus terlooii larvae have been added courtesy of Bruce Walsh. Mike Van Buskirk has sent me information on this species.
Eurides Furtado has sent me articles he co-authored with Jean Haxaire on Aleuron neglectum and Aleuron chloroptera and Manduca manducoides.
Eurides has also just sent me very nice images of spread specimens from his collection: Perigonia leucopus, Nyceryx furtadoi, Perigonia ilus, Manduca manducoides, Manduca violaalba, Manduca corumbensis, Isognathus menechus.
I have also posted nice images of a Xylophanes pluto larva, feeding on pentas in Miami, Florida. I could not find records for this species on pentas so asked Jean Haxaire for confirmation.
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Catocala Capers
Pierre Legault sent me nice images of Catocala andromedae, C. similis, C. neogama, C. subnata, C. muliercula, C. piatrix, C. frederici (extended range), C. desdemona, C. lineella, etc, etc, including many verso images, now up.
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Days are still getting shorter, .... going into diapause til mid March at least. "Mothly newsletters" will be posted on site for January, February and March.
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Pam Sharp has added some kaleidoscope pictures of Perisomena caecigena to her collection in the Members' Sidelines section.
Perhaps we are all "kaleidoscope" creations. Can you find the masked bandit?
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